Setting up Synology NAS for external access

[Snailtones]

I'm having issues setting up an EE Smart Hub (the newer white router came after the Bright Box 2) in DSM 6 on a Synology NAS? I'm getting an issue when setting up router with it not getting past network environment check (on the NAS) saying that there are two or more routers on the network and then that no UPnP is found though I've set the router to have UPnP on. It suggests setting the router to Bridge Mode but I can't find anywhere that I can do that with this router (I don't think that's possible) and the router isn't listed on the next page on the NAS for manual setup.

I think if I can get past the issue of the NAS not wanting two routers on the network then UPnP should be able to sort the rest. I do have a network booster on the network which has a different SSID but is connected to the EE Smart Hub to extend range. I can't do without this as it is the only way to maintain access to my solar set up as the range is too far for the SH. I appreciate this is query is mostly about Synology but figure that it's quite a popular brand and that there might have been some other people using the Smart Hub and a Synology NAS who have some shared experience.

Thanks for reading.

[XRaySpeX]

Sorry, @Snailtones , that WAN Port setting isn't on a Smart Router; only on a Smart Hub.

I think you must have a modem in front of the router from those 1000/1000 Meg speeds. You can't get 1000 Meg upload from any BB package. Those are the Gigabit speeds of the LAN.

EE has about a dozen diff BB products, half of which are at least 100 Meg, & we don't know yet which you have.

Login to your MyEE for BB. What is the Plan Name under View plan ?

You could well be on a FTTP product. Is there an ONT (modem) on an outside-facing wall to which the router is connected by Ethernet?

[Snailtones]

The plan is actually in my partners name so I don't have access to it. We did have our line upgraded within the last year and they put an openreach box on the inside and something on the outside of the wall. I'm fairly sure we don't have a landline anymore either which we always needed before. I've got a feeling we went for 100Mb/s deal but I just did a speed check and we're getting just over 50. Could be Fibre Plus or Fibre Max, I think the only difference in package is the speed so I'm not sure that will make a difference

[XRaySpeX]

The diff in packages is more than just speed but is based on the BB technology (variously ADSL, FTTC, G.Fast or FTTP) employed.

You have the FTTP variant of the EE Fibre Max 100 package. It is possible that OR ONT on the wall is causing the double NAT. What are the legends on its various ports facing you?

[Mustrum]

@Snailtones  It sounds as if your NAS is getting confused, have you recently changed package or provider? It should not know about two routers, so if any change has occurred, the NAS Network needs to be set up again, and any old router/network removed.

The next thing I would ask, is why are you not using the latest Version 7 firmware on the NAS - it has much simpler remote access setup - having said that I do not use it on mine - no need.

Not sure why you would not know what EE service you have, but if you are not able to get that information from your parnter, a picture or three would also help.

[Snailtones]

@XRaySpeX Thanks for explaining a bit, I took pictures of what's on the wall this is inside the house

and outside is below though I imagine this is not so useful!

Hopefully some of that is helpful. I think I need to google what OR ONT is and what double NAT means. Thanks for persevering with this. Let me know if there's other information that I need to send over

[Snailtones]

@Mustrum thanks for looking at this. 

This is the first time I have tried to set this NAS up for external access so it has not had any other router details installed. The EE BB package was changed (I think @XRaySpeX is correct in saying this is Fibre Max 100) within the last year when my area changed from copper to fibre. There isn't any older router/network but there is a wifi extender and I just remembered there is an ethernet switch (TP-Link Tl-SG10008D) but the NAS is not connected through that, it goes straight to one of the ports on the router.

I'm not using version 7 on the NAS for a couple of reasons, first is I'm not sure it would take it as it's only a DS118 and it hasn't said there's a more up to date DSM to install. (I just googled this and it looks like a couple of days ago the 118 got a release note saying it is compatible so maybe I should try that?). Second reason for not looking into it is that I'm not sure I need the newer DSM as I'm only storing some files and streaming a bit of media (mostly music), I'm no power user and it's an old NAS so I kind of thought it probably wasn't worth the hassle!

The final bit is that the BB package is linked to my partner's phone bundle! I usually sort most stuff like this out but that's the way it ended up and I don't have the account login. I'm fairly sure it's Fibre Max 100 as I remember considering going for faster but the guy at EE saying it's not worth it for our usage (it seems he was right, this is plenty fast enough).

Thanks again for checking in on this query. Have you got any thoughts on why it might be saying it's detecting two routers on the network and what I could do about that? Do you think upgrading to DSM 7.01 might be a workaround?

[XRaySpeX]

Thanks! I think I'm on the wrong track there. The ONT only has 1 port "Port" for the router. I believe it must be acting as a modem only & so can't be the other router (double NAT) seen by the NAS.

You say you are setting up the NAS for access from outside. So have you forwarded its ports in the router?

[Mustrum]

@Snailtones  Still not sure where you are seeing two routers, and if it is connected directly to the router it won't care about those other devices. 

As for DSM 7, I find it a little more logical and easier to use, with a nicer GUI.

To try and understand where you are in the process, which method are you trying to set up? From the Synology site:

Synology NAS External Access Quick Start Guide - Synology Knowledge Center

What methods are available to remotely access my Synology NAS?

This article provides information for the following three methods for accessing your Synology NAS.

• Creating a customized ID or address with QuickConnect.
• Setting up a hostname for the IP address of your NAS using DDNS.
• Mapping a port on your router to the IP address of your NAS using port forwarding.

Set up QuickConnect

QuickConnect allows you to connect to DSM over the internet using a customizable ID or address, such as "quickconnect.to/example". Refer to this article to see which packages and services support QuickConnect.

Follow the steps below to set up and start using QuickConnect. You can also refer to the respective help articles for DSM 7.0 and DSM 6.2 for more details.

1. Do one of the following according to your DSM version:
   • DSM 7.0 and above: Go to Control Panel > External Access > QuickConnect.
   • DSM 6.2 and below: Go to Control Panel > QuickConnect.
     
2. Tick the Enable QuickConnect checkbox. If you have not signed in or registered for a Synology Account, click Log in to or register a Synology account.
3. Enter your desired QuickConnect ID in the QuickConnect ID field, then tick the By checking here you are agreeing to the Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy checkbox. Click Apply.
4. If the specified QuickConnect ID is available, a section should appear displaying your QuickConnect ID and the address where DSM can be accessed.
5. If you want to adjust other options or permissions settings, do one of the following according to your DSM version:
   • DSM 7.0 and above: Click the Advanced Settings button.
   • DSM 6.2 and below: Go to the Advanced tab.
6. With QuickConnect enabled, you can access DSM services through the following methods:
   • Via a computer: Open a web browser and enter your QuickConnect URL (e.g., "http://quickconnect.to/example123"). Hit Enter, and you will be redirected to the DSM login screen.
     
   • Via a mobile device:
     1. Open a Synology mobile app, such as DS file.
     2. Enter your QuickConnect ID, plus your DSM account and password.
     3. Click Login.

Create a hostname with DDNS

Configure port forwarding

Keep your external connection secure

Further reading

[Snailtones]

@XRaySpeX I haven't set up any port forwarding for the NAS as I was expecting UPnP to do it for me! I can't get it to do that as part of the process is a network check where is says that there's another router in the network

[XRaySpeX]

There should be no harm in setting up the port forwarding if you are not using the QuickConnect or DDNS methods.  It might even fix things.